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The job description reads: 'We are looking for two enthusiastic
graduates with a degree in any discipline to undertake a two-year
management training programme at Bristol City Council.

'You should
have a strong interest in the delivery of local public services, be
able to take the initiative and have the confidence to relate to people
at all levels within the Council.

'The traineeship will involve
rotating placements in different services of the City Council where you
will be where you will be given 'on the job' training and undertake
projects including policy and research work.

'You will need to be
flexible and able to learn quickly in changing environments. The
successful candidates will be offered a postgraduate diploma in
Management Studies, a tax free training allowance and mentoring and
support throughout the traineeship.'

Bristol council has 9,000 members of staff, not including teachers, of which 630, or seven per cent, are from ethnic minorities.

Because 12 per cent of Bristol residents come from minority backgrounds the council has begun trying to redress this imbalance.

Discriminatory? The job advert appeared on Bristol City Council's website

A spokesman for the council said advertising ethnic minority-only posts was allowed under race relations legislation.

He said: 'This traineeship was started because of the marked under-representation of ethnic minorities in our workforce.

'The normal recruitment process was not rectifying this unacceptably
low trend so there was a strong case for this small positive
recruitment traineeship for two ethnic minority graduates a year.

'We
have a workforce of more than 9,000 employees, excluding school staff,
so this is a small training programme.

'Graduates from any ethnic
background are open to apply for the national graduate local government
programme which we recruit from every year - we have just recruited two
graduates in this way.

'We also run a successful apprenticeship programme for the under-24s -
so far we have placed 62 to date. And of course there are a range of
jobs advertised externally via our website, which graduates can apply
for.

'It is also worth remembering that this is a training position - at the
end of the two years there is no guarantee of work and the successful
candidates would have to apply for a job with the council in the usual
way on the open market.'

The Race Relations Act 1976 states that if a racial group is under-represented councils can offer training to individuals from that group.